"Speaking on the side of the federal government, one of the first things we have to do is to re-engineer FEMA so that this agency can maximize its role supporting response and recovery efforts and providing the necessary assistance to state and local communities when those communities call on FEMA for support. Well, what does that reengineering mean It means developing a more effective distribution and delivery system for supplies, more efficient business processing and disaster registration systems, and enhanced communication capabilities. "The reality is that FEMA is a 20th century organization and we are now in the 21st century. And there are processes and tools that we do see working around us in the private sector and in other areas of the government that we must adapt and apply to FEMA. "The fact of the matter is, we want to have FEMA's distribution and logistics system - the ability to move people and goods in support of emergency responders -- emulate the best of private sector models so that we can get vital supplies and assistance to communities in a reasonable amount of time and replenish our stocks in a timely manner. But I also have to say something else. This is, after all, a shared responsibility, and that means state and local government also has to do some significant preparedness planning to make sure, particularly in those immediate hours and first few days in the aftermath of a catastrophe, particularly an unexpected catastrophe, there are available on the state and local scene those supplies that are necessary to deal with the immediate crisis after an emergency. This has to be a joint effort. It cannot be an effort that the federal government carries by itself, nor it is an effort that the states would want the federal government to carry by itself, because I think you rightly regard yourselves as leaders of state and local communities as wanting to have a major say in the way we respond to crises in your own communities. So that's why partnership is so very, very important here". (DHS, Remarks by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chert off at the American Legislative Exchange Council's 2005 States and National Policy Summit, Dec 9, 2005)